Holiday Decorating : Day SEVEN

Every year I have the same conversation with the mister when it comes to decorating the outside of our house for the holidays. I want lights and a lot of greenery and he wants me to keep it simple. Secretly, I think he just doesn’t want to spend a Sunday afternoon trying to untangle lights! But almost every year he does take me out to his grandparent’s property to collect branches. We usually make an afternoon of it, taking a drive in the countryside and stopping at the Tyrone Mill for hot apple cider and a fresh donut. But, with all the rain and mild weather we had lately, we skipped our yearly traditional and I grabbed some cedar at a local greenhouse and he picked me up some dogwood. My arrangements are not as full as past years, but I’m happy with the results. More than anything, I just miss my annual donut fix;)

When I lived in Toronto there was a house on my street that decorated their tree like the ones above. Now that I live in a home with a large maple tree in our front yard, I REALLY want to recreate this look. Does anyone know someone with a cherry picker? Source

Maybe next year 🙂

A pair of urns or large planters are always a good investment because you can easily take them from summer, to fall to winter. Source

Sometimes it’s an unexpected element that make the statement, like the snowshoes seen here. Source

Plastic ornaments are great for outdoor displays. However, I suggest you make sure they are attached to something or else you’ll have a ball pit in your yard on a windy day! Source

If you have a covered porch you could achieve this look with either an outdoor chandelier, or by attaching a wreath to chains or twine and wrapping it with a string of outdoor lights that are on a timer. The tutorial for this one can be found here: Source

No room for urns? Decorate with garlands. You can twist a string of lights around them and skip the lights on the roof step. Source

I love mini LEDs! You could recreate this look on your lamp post if you have one. Source

If for whatever reason you can’t hang a wreath on your door, you could always use a birch branch and prop it up in a corner.

Love the modern look of this planter.

Having a party? Decorate you front steps with wreaths and candles!

With our lack of snow this year, I find taking an evening drive to check out the lights is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. But I’m still hoping a bit of the white stuff shows up on Christmas day:)

I always try to find the original credit for every photo that I post but it’s not always possible. If any of the images above are not credited to the correct source please let me know so the original creator can be acknowledged.